By Leslie Lindsay

When one calls themselves “a writer,” it seems inspiration comes from a variety of sources.  And that’s a good thing…because books (and other written pieces of information) are a conglomerate of information, right?

Lately, I have been finding inspiration in a variety of unique spots.  For example, the song “Mr. Know-it-all” by Kelly Clarkson popped on the radio this afternoon and it got me to thinking about an ex from college.  He didn’t know me at all.  We dated for just about 9 months…maybe less…and as the song goes, “you think you know it all, but you don’t know a thing about me…so I’m leaving you lonely.”  Hummm.  Gotta a guy lurking in your past like that?  Why not write about it?

Okay, and going along with this you-don’t-know-me theme, I was listening to my favorite radio show this mornng, “Eric and Kathy” (WMIX 101.9) and they were talking about people who have been married 3 times.  Listeners called in and shared what they had learned in each of their marriages…”the starter marriage,” the “I-can’t-change-you-marriage” and the “I-think-I’ve-got-it-all-figured-out-marriage.”  Well, it’s not to say that we all have to be married three times to get it right, but well…3rd time’s a charm?!  No, please don’t mis-read me, but it’s just an observation.  Perhaps a novel?

And then, I must share the Ballard Designs catalog that came in the mail earlier this week.  While there are all kinds of things presented in this catalog that is good enough to write about (French decor, crossaints, an interior decorating protagonist), but what I gleaned from this catalog was something altogether different: paint colors in the Florence collection.  The weathered, cranky, soft hues of pastels somehow transported me back in time when life was much simpler.  A novel set in the countryside in which a woman is re-building her family’s farmstead.  Family lore, multiple generations, a literal and figuritive rebuilding, maybe through in a ghost or two and you’ve got a thriller??

Well, who knows…but I have some unique pieces of inspiration to work with here…write on, Wednesday!